Violence and Conflict

Content Warning: contains reference to sexual abuse and physical violence

In today’s world, one need only switch on the news to be met with the relentless coverage of the severe atrocities that have become all too familiar in Ukraine and the Middle East. But what about the stories that do not captivate the attention of the international community in a way that these conflicts have? One such situation is that of the harrowing crisis that is unfolding in Sudan. This article serves as a sombre reminder that not every humanitarian catastrophe is afforded the same weight by the media, and yet the devastating impact on civilian lives remains unchanged, no matter the geography.

The present conflict in Sudan broke out in the April of 2023 as a result of a spiralling power struggle between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group primarily composed of the Janjaweed militias. Since the commencement of this fighting, increasing reports of human rights violations against Sudanese civilians have been flooding the desks of human rights watchdogs, such as Amnesty International, demonstrating a rapidly escalating situation.

Unfortunately, such a serious situation is not a first for Sudan. Accusations of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes were provided by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court against previous Head of State Omar al-Bashir in 2008. This garnered widespread attention and focused on the dire situation in Darfur. Given the current escalation of violence against civilians,we are forced to question whether Sudan’s deadly past is truly in the past, or if we are witnessing its rapid resurgence.

The current allegations made in relation to violence against Sudanese civilians are widespread and numerous, including sexual violence, torture, arbitrary killings, extortion of civilians, and ethnic cleansing. As noted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), civilians appear to be paying the highest price in one of the world’s worst civilian protection disasters in decades. Such a statement begs the question: what will it take for the world to take notice?

According to the ACLED, as of 8^th November 2024, there have been more than 27,000 reported fatalities in Sudan resulting from the conflict, with a staggering 129% increase in violence against civilians in the last four weeks alone. Furthermore, the Center for Preventative Action has found that these crimes are having widespread effects on a variety of persons, for example, alleged sexual violence against girls as young as 14.

 It is harrowing to know that such brutal crimes are occurring, especially when considering that they are effectively passing unnoticed on the international community’s radar. Similarly, The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has evidenced that over 11 million people have been internally displaced because of this conflict (as of the 5^th November 2024). This further evidences the fact that the situation in Sudan is rapidly spiralling out of control. Civilians must choose to either leave their homes and livelihoods or stay and be subjected to unspeakable violence. The fact that such statistics do not appear to be enough to incite action from the international community is a catastrophic failure for the Sudanese civilians who bear the punishment.

In light of such evidence, it is beyond question that the international community must step up to the plate and begin to provide the civilians of Sudan with the help that they so desperately need. As we have seen through the conflict in Ukraine, the international community has the tools and mechanisms to help in such situations and must extend the same urgency to Sudan. Failure to do so will not only exacerbate the suffering, but also raise questions about the value that is implicitly placed on the lives of the Sudanese civilians. It is time to take action. We cannot sit by and condemn Sudan to a repetition of their darkest chapter.

Editor: Leah Russon Watkins